Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting Calling all Oneida bow owners

This style of compound intrigues me, but I have a lot of questions. Does it break over like a regular compound with cams?
Or does it act more like a recurve or long bow please share with me every thing about them ,I am just fascinated by the design.
Is the speed or energy similar or differers greatly from the cam
compounds? Thank for you time and the lessons for me. Cheers NC

I had a brand new one this last season, my cabin is only 1hr. way from the shop that builds them! shot 2 deer with it but had to return it 3 times in 1 month, I sold it as soon as deer season closed, good luck if you go with one!
John

saddllering Thanks for responding. Can you expand on what your problems were? Is it as smooth drawing as claimed and is it as quiet as they claim. The fact that you got two deer to me
means it wasn't all bad just a pain. Your input is appreciated &
I await your reply. Cheers NC

I had them replace all the screws ect. with stainless, while the bow was in layaway, when I got it the timming was off had to bring it back, then the string started to wear in one spot, had to take it back, then there ele. sight I got from them went out, a problem in it they fixed all, and were nice about it I forget what the other thing was, the bow was heavy not all that quite, i didnt like the sight like I thought I would, i have been shooting for over 40 years, and realy just didnt shoot this bow very well, poor shots on both deer, good tracking skills only reason I found them! less then 20yrds shots also! they want you to shoot there relese also I didnt care for it, also maybe it was just me but I invested 1300, and only got 900 when i sold the hole works! going back to mathews bows!
John

I've shot two over the last ten years. The newest one is about 7 years old now. Never had a problem an adjustment or a broken piece.

The draw just exactly the opposite of a recurve. There is no valley, they simply get easier to draw the further you pull back. I have shot about ........ well I cannot even guess how many fish I've killed with it. Tons of them literally!

I love the draw curve and the feel of this bow in every way. However, I do not prefer it to my Switchback for big game hunting. The tips of the limbs come back and point down, if you're close to something they will snap down upon release as whack whatever is in the way. Legs, knees, blind walls, trees, it's a handful to remember this when shooting in tight quarters.

They are also too large to travel with for me. I fly to hunt quite a bit and I don't like the size of the bow to travel with. I much prefer my little aluminum case with the Switchback.

The bow is good in every other way

JJ Thanks now I have two respondents and too very different
opinions I guess that is what makes a ball game or a horse race.
Thanks guys, I hope as few more will check and give their opinions. Cheers NC

All I can say is both of my friends that once were Onieda lovers switched to Monster bows and would never go back.

Long

Some of the older models do tend to be noisy. Guys that use an STS silencer claim that solved the problem.

I have an Aero model that is rigged for fishing (gators, specifically), so noise is really not really a big deal. I have not gotten around to mounting any silencers yet. The Aero does tend to be on the bulky side, but again not much of an issue with fishing.

The other one I have is an Exreme. As an old recurve shooter, this one suits me just fine! Very smoth draw, around 300 Fps with 400 grain arrows and around 80% let off. Noise is not an issue, and it is fast and accurate.

The Onedias' are a different breed, and most people love them or hate them. The newer bows like the Black Eagle II are major improvements over the older bows. I haven't shot one, but that's the word.

IF you can, try one out before you buy. There's an Onedia forum with guys all over the US, and if you post and ask, darn good chance you can find an owner that will meet you for a test drive.

Monster Bows are an improvement on the Oneida and what I'd get if buying new.

Older Oneidas are smooth draw, heavy, easy to tune, a little noisy without adjusting a little, Easy to break the bow down to work on it without a bowpress or special tools, a do-it-yourselfer bow, smooth again.

Good bows

Kent

My oneida ospery is every bit as good and dependable as my Mathews switchback. The only single issue for me is the way the limbs can hit what is in front of you when you release. Monster bows are exactly the same in that regard.

You will have issues getting local people to work on them as they are just not that common. Fortunately for me in the 7 years I have had the Osprey I've never done anything but change the string, and that is easy to do just like a recurve.

They are quiet, dependable, well made, and just plain work. They also have the sweetest draw curve of any bow ever made period. The only conventional compound made that comes close is the switchback and you can see how many people have the same feeling about that one! It's why I bought a Switchback, it was the fault of Oneida spoiling me! Once you draw back a bow that has no valley and the let off just gets gradually easier as you pull all the way back, it's hard to go back to a sharp let off aggressive cam bow.

Thank you every onewho has shared I appreciate it and hope more
will chime in. Once again thank you I am slowly building a
profile of these bows. Some one mentioned the Monster bow, however
it was my understanding that they were basically the same but
by some comments I now gather they are not. Would some one please
elucidate for me the differences. Cheers NC

Monster bows have no cams, just a cable system and not really sure of the term but lever action limbs is probably close. Lighter, quieter, and more letoff, maybe smoother if possible. The one negative is the shoot through cables, loading the arrow is a little different but after getting used to it won't be a problem.

Anyway, it's a neat concept.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2se3Z9XaLwk

Kent

I had one a long time ago & loved it till i hit the bottom limb, on a tower railing at a archery shoot took 3 months to get the parts back than, so I thought Id try them again, Sorry just didnt like the bow, beside all the little problems! If I was you Id try one, if I could before you buy one,.
John

I own an Oneida Aero Force X80 that I purchased new in 1996 (IIRC). It is very smooth to draw and shoot with up to 80% letoff that is selectable with cam elements that can be installed easily without a bow press. It is relatively heavy but very smooth. To make it shoot more quietly, I replaced the original Fast Flite string with one made of dacron. It is much quieter and only about 5-10 fps slower. This bow is only 10 fps slower than my Darton Lightning. I'm sure today's models are faster yet.

If you get an Oneida, take the time to study the manual that comes with it, and do it with no pre-conceived notions of how you would work on the bow based on previous work with other bows. It is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT than any other bow you have ever seen, and working on it is completely different as well. I recommend against trying to use a standard bow press. I recommend following the directions and doing the work yourself, or sending (or taking) the bow back to the manufacturer for service because not a lot of people know how to work on them and they can be ruined if not done properly.

I totally don't understand the folks who have said Oneidas have "no valley." On the contrary, Oneidas have a broad, deep valley that is very forgiving and easy to draw and hold. It is the new speed bows that have no valley. Anyone who would say the Oneida has no valley surely does not know what "valley" means.

Until today I never saw a "Monster" bow. After watching the video link above I must say the design is a MUCH simpler adaptation of the outboard limb concept. I might just have to try one myself, even though I already have enough bows to outfit King Henry's archers.

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Big Redhead, you could probably drive over to Monster Bows shop and talk to them.

Long

Big_Redhead you got some thing in the 35-40 range for an old man starting out in archery? Cheers Thanks for your time NC

Yes, I'm sure I have something laying around that could be made to work. I don't have any new-fangled, hi-performance bows in that range, and it would probably cost more to ship one that it is worth. I think your best bet is to find an archery dealer in your area that has used bows and find one that will work as a starter bow. In my area there is an archery shop every 20 miles in just about every direction, and they all have $50 bows they would like to get rid of. Maybe it's not the same way where you live. Central lower Michigan is a sort-of "hotbed" for modern archery, and everybody here hunts - EVERYBODY!

If you absolutely strike out locally, drop me a line and I'll see what I can do to help you. Sound fair?

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Red_Redhead sounds fair enough to me. I don't think the shops
are anything like you have back there. In fact I think the whole
state attitude for archery is not absolutely friendly. See Msg. I
sent you. Cheers NC

The Pollington shop is a mile away from my house and you won't meet a better family.

They are very open to people coming in and shooting their bows and working on them if needed, though I understand that is a problem for people that aren't local.

Yeah, I always wanted to visit their shop but just haven't made it happen yet. I have only purchased 3 brand new compounds in my lifetime. They cost twice as much today and I don't see how I could afford it now. Aren't we supposed to have more money as we get older? I have been in the area a few times for the MBH summer shindig, so there's no excuse.

That Monster bow sure is intriguing. Is it made by the Pollington clan as well?

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